CRISIS in CONFIDENCE
1968 – 1980
Nixon and the
Watergate Scandal
(pgs. 598 –623)
Ford Takes Over
Carter and
Foreign Troubles
Political Beliefs
1960’s
1970’s
Democratic
 Liberal
 Protect, take care of
citizens through
mandatory programs
 Fed. Govt. has
most power
Republican
 Conservative

Individual choice “Free Enterprise
– people & businesses are free to
make their own economic choices.
 Individual states
have more power
The Nixon Administration
(1968-1974)
 Had lost to JFK in ’60
 Narrowly beat Humphrey in ’68
 Labeled himself
 Aimed to appeal to SILENT
MAJORITY common everyday people,
factory workers,
non demonstrators,
“Middle America”
Economic Struggles
 Cost of Vietnam War
 Foreign competition – automobile & steel
industries.
 Stagflation – ( look at pg. 509 )
Stagnating economy (not a lot of movement )
wages remain the same, not a lot of new jobs
+
Inflation (prices of goods & services going up)
Economic Struggles
OPEC – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Economic Struggles
 Embargo - OPEC refused to sell oil to
countries ( U.S. ) who were allies of Israel.
 Oil prices rose 400 %
e.g.( if 1 gallon gas = 50 cents
= $2.50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpEV
UqrNa5M
Forced Busing
 ’71 – Federal courts ordered school districts
to bus students outside their neighborhood
to achieve greater racial balance.
 Nixon criticized court order
,reaching out to Southern Whites
and urban blue-collar workers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgDp
HEjx-zg
The Watergate Scandal
Sequence of Events
Look at pg. 603
Watergate
suspects are
investigated in
1973
Burglars break into
Democratic HQ in
Watergate building
in Wash. D.C. they are
arrested.
2 reporters (Woodward
& Bernstein) receive a tip
(Deep Throat) that the
burglars had ties to
Nixon’s reelection
campaign.
James MCord
Frank Sturgis
Virgilio Gonzalez
Eugenio Martinez
Bernard Baker
Sequence of Events
“But I have
executive
privilege!”
Discovery of the
tapes, missing
information
Nixon MUST
hand them over to
the court
18.5
MINUTES
Nixon is investigated by
Congress
Nixon resigns
August, 1974
Nixon Resigns
• Nixon resigns before he can be
impeached
• Impeach - to formally charge a
public official with misconduct in
office
• “High crimes and misdemeanors”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ZXz
ZBtDsY
Impact
• Federal Campaign Act
• Financial Disclosure for Government Affairs
• Weakened the Presidency
▫ 43% of Americans had “hardly any” faith in the
executive office any more (1974)
Gerald Ford
• Nixon resigns in disgrace, 1974
• Gerald Ford –
▫ Republican
▫ U.S. Congressman ( Michigan) (25
yrs).
▫ Became VP, then President
▫ VP Gerald Ford enters office
• “I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln”
FORD
 Big College Football Player – Univ. of Michigan
 Served in WW II in Navy
 Wife, Betty , influential in establishing
treatment centers for alcoholism and drug
addictions.
FORD
 Pardons Nixon Nixon was officially forgiven of any
crimes he may have committed as president
 Stagflation continues  Factories closed down
Consumer demands for goods dropped
Rate of unemployment rose steadily
 Ford becomes very unpopular, will lose
election to Jimmy Carter in 1976
Jimmy Carter
• Former Georgian governor
Labeled himself a “common man” , an “outsider of Washington”
• Elected by a slim margin
• Appealed to Christian Fundamentalists –
people who believe in strict interpretation of
the Bible as the foundation of the Christian faith .
• But he did not have close ties
to Democrats in Congress,
difficult to get bills passed.
Jimmy Carter
• Granted amnesty -(political pardons) to
Americans who had evaded the draft during
the Vietnam War. These men were called
DRAFT DODGERS
• Many Americans upset.
• Continued problems:
Energy - ( gas for cars, fuel for home heating )
Inflation – ( rising prices, no raises in salary )
Look at
pg. 611
Changing demographics of the U.S.
 Loss of jobs in Northeast and Midwest
these areas were called the RUSTBELT
 Americans moving to the SUNBELT – South and West,
gained political power
Important Political Groups
Began to gain political power,
candidates wanted their votes
• Immigrants : More immigrants
from Mexico / Latin America –
countries like Dominican
Republic, Nicaragua, etc.
• Evangelical Christians – breach their
religion(spread the word of God) , use
television (televangelists) to spread
their beliefs.
“ME DECADE”
Americans absorbed with
improving themselves themselves
• Personal Fitness
• Yoga, Meditation
• TV – showed minorities, current issues.
http://ww
w.youtube.
com/watch
?v=7fqCS7
Y_kME